A Shattered Family
by Diavenia
Summary: 12 years ago, Akuma attacked a Chinese village. This was the first time - but unfortunately not last time - the Lee family was torn apart. Backstory Fic.
1. Night of the Akuma

Disclaimer: DGM is property of Katsura Hoshino-sensei, not me. =) Without any further ado, I present to you:

**A Shattered Family**

_DragonSabre_

* * *

After this night, their lives would never be same again.

* * *

"Brother! Brother! Where are you?" Little four-year-old Lenalee Lee chirped as she toddled down the hall, poking her head through doorways in search of her elusive brother. "Oh! I found you!" Komui Lee, sixteen years of age, was fast asleep at his desk, sprawled over his notes. "Brother, Father's calling you!" She tugged at his sleeve, but it was a futile effort. Lenalee pouted, and climbed onto his chair from the side, carefully placing her foot on the edge beneath the armrest, but overbalanced.

"Oof!" She slipped, toppling over on Komui's back.

"Wah! I'm awake, I'm awake!" Komui sat up with a start. "Ehh… Lenalee? Where'd you go?" He felt a tug on his ponytail. He turned his head and looked down to find his adorable little sister wearing a disgruntled expression, squashed between his back and the chair's backrest.

"Brother, you squished my nose when you got up," Lenalee complained, pointing to her nose.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," Komui chuckled. He stood up and planted a light kiss on her nose. "All better?" Lenalee hmphed and tried to look annoyed with him but failed. She relented upon seeing her brother try to copy furrowed brows and scrunched up nose comically and laughed, and held out her arms to him. Komui smiled back. "Ok, up we go!" He picked her up and swung her around once, earning another peal of laughter before she wrapped her arms securely around his neck.

"So did you need me for anything, my cute little Lenalee?"

"Oh yeah! But umm…" Lenalee bit her lip and tilted her head. "I forgot."

"Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to wait until you remember, ne?" Komui chuckled again and set her back on the ground. He went back to his desk and shuffled a few of his papers around. "Ahh, I can't concentrate, I need more coffee." He reached for his special mug, the one Lenalee had 'decorated' for him one day.

* * *

Mother had found Lenalee on the ground with ink all over her face, with a calligraphy brush in her hand. She was surrounded with papers that had inky smears on them. In her other hand, she had her brother's expensive pristine coffee mug… that no longer looked so pristine.

"Lenalee! What are you doing to your brother's cup?" Mother had exclaimed, dismayed.

"I wrote his name on it, see?" Lenalee smiled widely, pointing out her carefully scrawled brush strokes.

"Oh, my dear, I'm sure you meant well, but this was your brother's favourite mug…"

Lenalee's face fell and her smile dropped. "You mean… he won't like it?"

"What won't I like?" Komui slid the door open and entered the room.

"Brother! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lenalee dropped the brush and ran into his arms crying. "I didn't mean to ruin your favourite mug, I didn't know!"

"Ruin? What are you talking about? It's an improvement to me! Covering up those engravings, I never liked those. Oh! And you've written my name too! Lenalee, you're going to grow up to be a genius, just like your big brother!" Komui gushed, taking the cup from his mother, winking over Lenalee's shoulder to assure her that it was alright.

Sniffling, Lenalee looked up at her brother's earnest expression. "Really?"

Nodding firmly, Komui responded, "Absolutely. Although… there's just one thing that's holding this mug back from being perfect."

"What is it, Brother?"

Heaving a melodramatic sigh, Komui tipped the mug upside down. "There's no coffee in it."

* * *

Smiling at the recollection, Komui couldn't help but notice he had the same problem now. His mug was empty save for a few drops. "Guess I'll go fill it." He picked it up and abruptly turned around, only to almost trip over his little sister, who was concentrating intently on a diagram that had fallen from his desk. "Is little Lenalee going to help her big brother calculate the torque generated from the modified C2 hydraulic pump?" Lenalee stared up at him blankly, clearly at a loss. "Guess we're not ready for advanced physics yet, are we?" Komui chuckled.

Lenalee pouted again, "Yes I am! They're, umm… for your robots, right?"

"Lenalee! You make your brother so proud! Yep, those are basic schematics for the arm movement, and these—"

KNOCK KNOCK.

"Komui! Are you blathering on about your science-fiction dreams again?" his mother stood at the door, arms crossed disapprovingly.

"Mom, don't mock my dreams! I will be a great inventor and create amazing robots that can clean things, fix things, heal injuries, protect Lenalee—"

"And terrorize people and destroy cities," his mother acerbically finished for him.

"Aww, Mother, don't be like that," Komui whined. "People are going to adore my wondrous creations, right Lenalee?"

"Right, Brother!" Lenalee chirped.

His mother shook her head and sighed. "Teleport half a century into the future if you want to work on your futuristic mechanics, son. For now, can you at least make an attempt to learn to cook so you can carry on the family restaurant?"

"But, but, but I don't want to waste my potential on cooking at this time! I still have years to learn all that boring stuff from you two."

His mother sighed. "We're not through with this discussion yet, young man. But at the moment, the restaurant is doing well, so we can afford to leave you to your studies. Besides, it's not like you're going anywhere anytime soon."

"Oh! Brother! I remember now! Daddy asked me to come get you!" Lenalee piped up.

"Father did? Oh noooo, he'll kill me for being this late! Where is he?"

"Out by the koi pond! Come on, I'll show you!" Lenalee stood up and shot out the door.

"Ah, wait for meeee!" Komui picked up his dropped papers and ran after his sister, knocking down loose papers from his bookshelf as we went.

"That boy is hopeless," his mother groaned. "And we're going to have a hard time keeping up with our little girl when she grows up." But a smile was on her face as she bent down to pick up Komui's papers for him. She stepped into the hallway and her tough-mom façade slipped as she watched Lenalee dash around the corner and Komui scramble after her. "That bundle of energy sure is going to be a fast one. And that boy may have his head in the clouds, but at least he's dependable when it comes down to it."

* * *

"Father look! I found him!" Lenalee dashed forward, Komui's hand tight in her grip.

"Thank you, Lenalee. Off you go, it's nearly your bedtime, isn't it?"

"Aww, okay fine."

"Your mother will tuck you in. Your brother and I need to have a pleasant conversation."

Judging by the glint in his father's eye, Komui concluded that his father had used the word 'pleasant' in its loosest sense.

"Good night Father! Goodnight Brother!"

"Good night Lenalee! Sweet dreams!" Komui returned her smile with a wave and watched her disappear back into the house. He sat down on the bench beside his father. "So Father, what did you want to speak to me about?"

His father ignored the question, instead opting to settle back on the bench and casted his gaze skywards. The last sliver of sun had slipped behind the horizon hours ago. Night blanketed the sky in a dark midnight blue, the same shade as Komui's hair. A breeze drifted by, bringing with it the vestiges of a bird song and thin wisps of ash. Komui stared at a little nightingale that splashed down into the birdbath. It twittered around for a while, preening its feathers with a carefree air, impervious to the tense atmosphere surrounding the two people observing it.

"I'm going to cut to the chase, Komui. You have no intention of inheriting the family restaurant, do you?"

Komui's eyes widened at his father's direct question. "Well, the truth is, I, uhh…"

His father snorted. "Yes, doesn't bother giving your father a straight answer. But that's okay; I already know what you mean to say."

"Father, I—"

"Go on. Follow your dream."

"I—Wait, what?"

"You heard me, boy. Go join that research group situated in Japan you're always talking about."

"You're serious? You'd support me?"

"Son, if there is anything you learn from your father in your lifetime, it is that you must follow your dreams no matter what, and you must always put family first."

"I promise, Father, I will!"

"And besides… your cooking generally results in a burnt mess accompanied by foul odours. It takes talent to spoil the culinary art so badly."

"Father, don't exaggerate!" Komui looked affronted, waving his arms in denial.

His father gave a hearty laugh and tried to ruffle his son's hair. "Your hair doesn't ruffle as easily now that it's much longer."

"Of course, why do you think I grew it out?" Komui gave a mutinous look, taking on the appearance of an overgrown boy, albeit a tall and lanky one.

"You're going to be a good man, son. A good brother, and eventually, a good father too."

"Father! Don't get all sentimental on me, you know I hate that!"

Ignoring his son's remarks, he forged on, "Make sure to look after Lenalee. Don't let her date until after she's married, okay?"

"Father, please, Lenalee's four, now's not the time to be thinking of her future boyfriend." Komui grimaced.

"Ah, but kids grow up so fast. Blink and you'll miss it. Next thing you know, she'll be all grown up and as beautiful as ever."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure— Ahh! Did you hear gunshots just now?" Komui leaped up.

"What are you talking about, boy— Wait! They're coming from the direction of the village center!"

"Regular gunshots aren't this loud! What's going on?"

"Get your mother and sister, I'll find out what happening!"

"But Father!"

"GO!"

Father and son charged into the house. The gunshots were getting louder, and a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the ominous night sky. His father grabbed the shotgun he kept by the door. "Go Komui! Keep your mother and sister safe!" With these words, he charged out of the house and into the street.

"Be careful Father!" Komui tried to keep the foreboding tone out of his voice. He tore down the hallway and threw open Lenalee's door.

"Brother?" Lenalee rubbed her eyes with the back of her tiny hand.

"Shh, sorry for waking you so late Lenalee, but we've got to stay together now and find Mom, ok?" Komui walked over to her bed and scooped her up in his arms. He straightened up, nearly falling down as the ground shook.

"Brother, what's happening?" Lenalee clutched the front of his shirt tighter.

Komui gritted his teeth and stumbled forward. "A minor earthquake, it seems. Don't worry about it!" He kept up a falsely cheery tone as they reached the door to their parents' room. Just as he reached for the handle, a massive explosion shook the whole house, knocking Komui to the floor. Lenalee screamed and tightened her grip around Komui. "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay…" Komui tried to keep his own hand from shaking as he patted her quivering back. He shifted Lenalee to his left arm and shakily reached for the door handle to their parents' room. At his lightest touch, the door fell open.

A bloody scene of destruction lay before him. A cold, dry wind swept across the room and dislodged debris from the crumbled walls. A ceiling beam creaked and swayed dangerously before crashing into the ground, mere meters away from where Komui stood. A jumble of wreckage was collapsed on the center of the room, where their parents' bed should have been. Slowly spreading from the devastation was a pool of red. Komui could only stand frozen from shock at the pool that was inching towards his feet. He staggered a step back, pressing his hand over Lenalee's head, burying it into his shoulder. A few more steps stumbled backwards. The pool spread impossible larger, rivulets of blood still streaming from the center of the wreckage.

Komui's eyes widened, recognizing that the amount of blood lost was at a fatal level. "M-Mom…" he croaked. "Mom?" He reached a trembling hand towards the rubble and fell to his knees, Lenalee still clinging to his neck. Oblivious of the blood now stained his knees, Komui took a few ragged breaths and squeezed his eyes shut. He was faintly aware of Lenalee's tears flowing down his neck and soaking into his shoulder.

"Brother, what's happening?" Lenalee repeated, fists clenched in his shirt. "Why is there so much blood on the floor?"

Komui froze and looked down, finally registering that the floor he was kneeling on was covered in red. A stronger wind blew by, accompanied with a jaw-chattering rumbling. Komui whipped his head up and saw the walls of the rest of the house quaking violently.

_Get a grip! You've got to get Lenalee and yourself out of there before the house collapses entirely!_

That single thought managed to make its way to the front of Komui's mind over the haze of terror. Komui scrambled to his feet. "Stay close to me! We've got to run!" After sparing a single glance back, Komui hefted Lenalee onto his back and ran out of the house. Once they joined up with a group of fleeing villagers on the street, Komui witnessed a nightmare-scape that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Massive atrocities with countless built-in guns were hovering over the village causing devastation by shooting glowing purple bullets everywhere. Several even more grotesque creatures weaved among the ball-shaped ones, barking out eerie, bone-chilling cackles as they ripped through the village. "Wh-what are those… those monsters?" Komui shouted disbelievingly at no one in particular.

Suddenly, a woman dressed in a long black coat with gold lining and a cloak flapping behind her leapt down in front of him, accompanied by a giant ape-like beast. Without turning around to look at Komui, she answered, "They're Akuma. Demons created to destroy the world as we know it. Lau Jimin! Go!" She pointed at the swarm of Akuma that were nearing their location and her beastly companion took off with a snarl.

"Who are you?" Komui was completely bewildered. The only tangible thought he could hold on to for more than a second was that he had to get Lenalee out of here, away from these monsters— Akuma, the woman had called them?

The woman spared a second to look back at him, sweeping her blond hair to one side of her face. She scrutinized his dishevelled appearance before responding, "An Exorcist. Apostles chosen by God to defeat the Akuma." Her gaze softened when she saw that he was piggybacking Lenalee. "You should get that child away from here. The battle ground is no place for young ones."

"But, but where can we go? We're surrounded!"

"Try heading further north. My partner should be just about done fighting the Akuma there so it should be relatively safer."

"Yeah, got that right, Klaud." A man with an outrageous mane of red hair with a mask covering half of his face dropped down from a nearby roof, tapping his gun on his shoulder. "Man, that fat-ass really made a mess of things this time. Klaud, you'd better treat me to some Romanee Conti after this."

"I'll have to decline, Cross. I have better things to do," came the brisk reply.

"Ouch, that's harsh, my darling."

Klaud sighed and rubbed her temples. "Why did Yeegar, even Socalo have to be busy? Why in God's name did I have to be stuck with you?"

Cross gave a booming laugh and drew a cigarette from his pack. "Because no one can resist my manly charm?"

Opting to ignore him, Klaud whistled, calling Lau Jimin back. "Come on, let's tackle the western front." Turning to Komui, she pointed north. "Just head that way. Take care of the girl!"

Komui, who had been watching the interaction utterly mystified, snapped back to reality. A barrage of Akuma bullets hailed towards them, only to be met with blazing blue bullets from the male Exorcist. "Get moving kid, I can't stand to be near ugly people." Cross waved him away with his left hand, his gun still firing with deadly accuracy.

"Wait! Um, Exorcist, sir, did you happen to see a middle-age man with hair like mine but with gray streaks wielding a shotgun?"

"Eh, what's that? You expect me to keep tabs on every ugly person that crosses my path?"

"…"

"Tch, fine. Some guy who looked kinda like what you described was leading a group of villagers to the west. Firin' away at the Akuma. Useless, I tell you. Sorry kid, they're probably all dead. Normal people don't stand a chance against those demons." Cross glanced down at Komui between shots. "What, did you expect me to sugar-coat? Nah, it's a tough world out there, brat. Now, you wanna die grieving for your dead father or save your living sister?"

Komui clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed. Lenalee shifted a little on his back, sobbing into his neck. "Brother? That bad man is lying, right? Where's Daddy?"

Komui opened his eyes with new resolve. He gently slid Lenalee down his back and turned to face her. He knelt down and so they could see each other eye to eye. Lenalee was wiping away her streams of tears with the back of her hand, but it was a futile effort. Each sob tore through Komui's heart painfully, but he knew he couldn't just fall apart and cry with her.

"Father is… not going to be coming with us, Lenalee. We're going to hide out at the clinic up north until everything settles down." He heard a grunt that hinted at something like approval, but when he looked up at the red haired man, he was whistling through his teeth, cigarette still hanging out of his mouth.

Too shell-shocked by tonight's events to even consider how that was possible, Komui patted Lenalee reassuringly. "We're heading for safety now, so don't cry. Nii-san's here for you, okay?"

A sniffle, followed by a muffled, "You promise?"

"Yes, dearest Lenalee, Brother will always be here for you whenever you need him!" Komui turned his head and offered a wide grin. Lenalee managed to smile back through her tears. "Okay. Let's go then, Brother." She snuggled more comfortably on his back and yawned hugely.

"Love you, Lenalee," Komui whispered, hearing her breathing steady as she slowly drifted off.

"Love you too… Brother," Lenalee murmured, half-asleep.

Komui trudged on. Lenalee was all he had now. Casting his mind back to earlier that night to his (last, he suddenly realized) conversation with his father, he remembered his promise.

"_Make sure to look after Lenalee. Don't let her date until after she's married, okay?"_

That would be his job now, wouldn't it? He felt the steady rise and fall of Lenalee's breathing on his back as she turned a little in her sleep. Yes, it now fell to him to preserve her cuteness, her purity, and her innocence from this moment on.

"Brother will make sure you never have to suffer through anything like tonight again."

* * *

How wrong he was.

* * *

...

...

...

Author's Note:

Hey there, readers! This is my first published fanfic. I've got half-finished fanfics floating here and there on my computer, but this is the first one I've gone through the whole process with. I'd really appreciate a review to know how I'm doing =D

I wrote this because there's just something about Komui and Lenalee's sibling relationship that's really endearing. =) Although their canon interaction is generally light hearted and silly (Lenalee making coffee for Komui, Komui being comically overprotective, Lenalee destroying Komurins XP), their relationship runs so deep that it's really touching. Especially at the end of the Invasion of HQ arc when Lenalee's Dark Boots become Crystal Type. Such a beautiful scene.

Thanks for reading!

~D.S.


	2. Dawn of Innocence

"Komui Lee. 18 years of age. Lives alone with 6 year old sister in modest furnishings just 3 kilometres away from the local village. Village was attacked by Akuma two years ago. Both parents died in the attack."

"And this intel is on the one who reacted to one of General Yeegar's Innocences when he was touring the region?"

"Yes. Reports say that one of the Innocences that General Yeegar was holding began pulsing when he approached the area. The pulsing increased in frequency and the Innocence glowed brighter as he neared the Lee household."

"That is enough evidence for me. Since no Exorcists are available at the moment, send in a team of experienced Finders along with my own men. Secure the Innocence's host at all costs, do you hear me? At all costs!"

"Yes sir, I will assemble the best team at once." Howard Link gave a smart salute before exiting the office.

Left alone in his office, Leverrier allowed himself a triumphant smirk. Finally! They had a new lead on an Innocence host for the first time in years. Their side of the war had been at almost a standstill ever since the Second Exorcist project was marked down as a failure.

_Those fools! That experiment was no failure! Snivelling cowards, the lot of them. Who cares if a few died in the attempt? War is all about making sacrifices to gain the upper hand!_

Unbeknownst to most of the higher ups at Central, Leverrier had been conducting his own set of experiments for decades, where he tried to force Innocence compatibility with non-accommodators. Even if there had been no breakthroughs, he felt that he was progressing. Progress was progress; it was better than being stagnant.

But now, a better opportunity had arrived. An actual Innocence host had appeared on the radar, and Leverrier would stop at nothing to obtain it.

* * *

_The world around him is dark and heavy with ashes. Eyes stinging from the smoke, Komui covers his face as best as he can with his sleeve. He pushes aside a section of broken down wall as he forges his way down the street. He arrives at the ruins of a once proud, beautiful house, hand-built several decades ago when its owners' reputation for making the best food on this side of the country became widespread._

_It is his parents' house. No, it __**was**__ his parents' house. The house he was raised in had been razed to the ground years ago._

_Komui is suddenly aware of another presence by his side. He looks down and sees his little sister Lenalee staring intently at the wreckage. "Nii-san, who are they?" Lenalee points at the center of the ruins._

"_There's no one th—" Komui breaks off, noticing two shadowy figures stepping out of the smoke. His eyes widen. "F-Father? Mother?" _

_The man steps closer. He holds out his hand to Lenalee, who takes a tentative step towards him. "No, wait!" Komui throws out his arm and stops her. "Who are you?" No reply. The man just stands there, his hand frozen in front of him. "Answer me!" Komui demands. The next second, he feels someone's arms wrap around him from behind, restraining him. He twists his head around to see his captor, only to have his head somehow forced forwards again. He struggles against the arms holding him back, but it is as futile as trying to bend an iron bar. _

"_Lenalee! Don't! Don't go with him!" he cries desperately as she takes the unknown man's hand and is led away._

"_She's going to a better place now." A deep, grating voice whispers in his ear._

"_Don't leave me!" he cries out, clawing frantically at his captor's iron grip. "Lenalee!" He sees her leaving with the two strangers who resembled their parents. She doesn't turn back. They disappear into the smokescreen._

"… _a better place now." The voice repeats ominously, mockingly._

"LENALEE!" Komui screamed as he sat up, eyes wild. Breathing heavily, he looked around and realized that he was safe in his bed in his own room. His hands were clenching his covers tightly. He relaxed his fists, but his fingers were still shaking.

"A nightmare? But it felt so real…" he murmured, flexing his fingers. He couldn't shake his feeling of foreboding. He swung his legs out of bed and hurried to his feet, glancing out his window before he stepped into the hallway. The sun barely peeked over the horizon, only a few rays of orange and pink stretching from the horizon to the sky. Normally, he would sleep for another hour or two, but that nightmare had left him too unsettled to go back to sleep. He shuffled a few steps down the hall and slowly slid open the door to his sister's room.

He gave a tremendous sigh of relief upon seeing her small form curled up in bed. He padded over and knelt down by her bedside, content to just watch her peaceful face as she slumbered. He was glad she was sleeping soundly.

About half a year ago, she had nightmares more frequently than he did. They often left her in tears and she would burst into his room sobbing. Then, a few months ago, her nightmares lessened and she was able to get a full night's sleep more often. Komui had been infinitely relieved, believing that Lenalee was finally getting over the awful incident that had left them orphaned. But he noticed a change within her. Before, whenever one of them accidentally spoke about their parents, Lenalee's expression would become sad and she would stop talking abruptly. But after the nightmares lessened, she would look confused whenever Komui breached the subject of their parents and she would try to change the topic of their conversation. Worried, he had taken her to their local doctor. He deemed that the trauma from the incident was slowly erasing her memories of her parents. He assured Komui that it was a human self-defence mechanism, and it was normal for someone who experienced such a shattering incident at such a young age. Losing the memory of their parents… A cruel price to pay for a good night's sleep.

Komui drifted out of his reverie and examined Lenalee's sleeping face. It was relaxed and even carried a hint of a smile. _A cruel and sad payment, but definitely worth it._ Komui folded his arms on the edge of the bed and rested his head on them.

As if sensing his presence, she shifted a little in her sleep and pulled an arm out from under the covers. Komui smiled and gently took her hand in his own. He gave her hand a light squeeze, to reassure himself that she was real; that this wasn't a dream.

She frowned a little in her sleep and shifted again. Komui tenderly stroked her brow until she relaxed again, but the second he lifted his hand away, Lenalee's eyes fluttered open.

"Brother?" She yawned, passing the back of her hand over her eyes.

"Shh, sorry for waking you Lenalee, just go back to sleep," Komui whispered soothingly.

"Mmm," Lenalee shook her head and grasped Komui's hand tighter. "I'm awake now." She turned towards him, blinking her wide, adorable violet eyes. Those eyes that were so unlike his dark onyx ones yet so similar to their mother's. He felt a familiar pang of grief as his thoughts turned to his late parents again. His grief was all the more fresh after his nightmare. Those two silhouettes were his parents, he was sure of it. And Lenalee walking away with them, what was it all supposed to mean? He shut his eyes to stem the flow of negative thoughts.

Without warning, Lenalee clapped her hands to either side of his cheeks. "Fwuoo—" Komui managed through his squished cheeks, eyes flying open in surprise. "No looking so serious this early in the morning, okay Brother?" She gave his cheeks a light pinch and smiled. Her smile caught on and Komui couldn't help but smile as well. He held her gaze for a while, and brother and sister were content just to be in each others' company.

Komui glanced up at the calendar and did a double take. "February 13! Oh, it's only a week until your birthday! How about we look around the marketplace after getting breakfast?" Komui suggested.

Lenalee's smile stretched from ear to ear. "Okay!" She bounded out of bed as Komui got up from his knees, stretching. Lenalee zipped over to her dresser and picked up her comb. She hurriedly began running it through her tresses, eager to get going. Komui stretched his arms up one last time before lazily opening one eye, then the other. "Oh ho! Want some help combing your hair, Lena— eh?" Blinking in surprise, Komui said, "You're done already?"

"Yep!" Lenalee chirped, tightening her second pink hair band around a shoulder-length tail. "I thought that it should be my turn to help you now!" She giggled and held up her comb.

"Eh, what?" Komui suddenly realized that he hadn't put up his hair into his standard ponytail in his rush. "Ah, would you look at that! Looks like I'll need a professional's touch for this mess!" He sat down obligingly as Lenalee began working out some of his tangles. Her hands were soft, even if they were clumsy at times, pulling a little harder than intended once in a while. Nonetheless, he enjoyed her ministrations and closed his eyes so he could just live in the moment.

A few dragged out moments later, he felt light knuckles rapping his head. "Brother, all done! Wake up!"

He laughed and caught her hand. "Silly, I wasn't sleeping." He ran a hand through his ponytail, impressed by his sister's handiwork. "Okay, now that we don't look like we just escaped from a zoo, change your clothes, get on your shoes, coat, mittens, and away we go!"

* * *

Howard Link shuffled through a crowd as discreetly as possible, tailing the Innocence accommodator. So far the suspected host had taken his younger sister (and only family, he noted again) to a market stall to buy food, for breakfast presumably. They were now meandering down the street, the girl stopping occasionally to admire some vendors' wares.

A crackle of static alerted him to Leverrier's presence on the other side of the ear-com. "Status report, Link."

"Yes sir. Innocence host shows no signs of abnormal behaviour. Will continue stakeout until tonight, as planned," Link reported back promptly.

"Good. Continue the good work, Link." The rustle of static faded, indicating that Leverrier terminated the communication.

"Thank you, Leverrier." Link felt a rare warm glow in his heart which he attributed to Leverrier's hard-earned praise. The man was like a surrogate father to him, and Link knew that he owed his current position in Central to him. He put his mind back on task to observing his target.

While the little girl flitted from stall to stall, directing her attention to this, that, and everything, the brother mainly kept his eyes on her and kept a tight grip on her hand throughout. She would look up at him with a beaming smile and point out things to him; he would smile back enthusiastically and bend down to her level so they could examine the trinkets together.

Briefly, Link wondered where they would send the child once her brother joined them. Taking her along was out of the question; Leverrier expressly forbid involving those who were unnecessary. Link shrugged it off; it wasn't his job to be worrying about others. He focused in on the pair again, watching them enter a shoe store.

* * *

"Brother! Brother! Look at this pair! Oooh, no these are even prettier! What do you think, Brother?" Lenalee skipped down the aisle, picking up any pair of shoes that caught her eye and displaying them to her brother.

"Wah, they're all too cute for me to decide!" Komui dramatically flung his arms in the air, joining Lenalee in her excitement. Considering how fast she was outgrowing her shoes and the fact that her birthday was next week, Komui resolved to get her a pair of new shoes. _Yes, she'd like new shoes._ Komui affirmed in his mind. _We'll pick out a pair she likes today, and I'll buy them for her a few days from now to surprise her!_

* * *

Lenalee would be getting new shoes, but they wouldn't be from him, and they wouldn't be for her birthday. She wouldn't even like them, no, quite the opposite. She would hate them, because they would mark the beginning of the darkest time of her life.

* * *

...

...

...

**Author's Note:**

Apparently Link is 19 in the canon. I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem right to me... I see him as around Komui's age, if not slightly older, so that's how old he is in my story. XD

Thanks for reading you guys! An extra thank you to Midori Yoshida and YearhhRight for reviewing last chapter! =D

~D.S.


	3. Night of the Black Order

"Lenalee, could you pass me the peppers? They're in that bowl over there."

"Okay!" Lenalee zipped over to the chopping board, where her brother had chopped a few green peppers earlier. Standing on her tiptoes, she grabbed the bowl of pepper slices and hurried over to the stove, where Komui was making (more like attempting to make) stir-fry for dinner.

"Whoa, slow down!" Komui laughed as she skidded to a stop. "There's no fire!" At that, a tongue of flame licked the side of the wok he was holding. "Whoops, spoke too soon!" He turned down the heat and added the peppers, humming as he did. "Okay! Now for some soy sauce!" He reached for an unlabelled bottle of black sauce, popped off the top, and poured some into the wok. "Hmm, smells a bit strange, but it should be alright," Komui noted. "What do you think, Lenalee? Careful, it's hot!" He lowered the wok and allowed her to take a whiff.

Lenalee wrinkled her nose. "Brother! That wasn't soy sauce, that was black vinegar!"

Setting the wok back on the stove, Komui scratched his head sheepishly. "Was it? Oh, no wonder it didn't smell right, ahaha! Well, we'll think of it as a modified recipe, how about that?"

"Brother, you say that every time you cook…"

"Lenalee! You're so mean to me! I only say that about half the time!" Komui pretended to pout, making Lenalee giggle.

KNOCK KNOCK.

Komui looked up at the sound of someone knocking on their front door. "Ah! It's probably that nice granny next door coming by to drop off some fresh vegetables. Get the door, would you, Lenalee?"

"Okay!" She bounded out of the kitchen and headed for the front entrance. She heard her brother add, "But make sure to ask who it is first, just in case!"

Reaching the door, she called out, "Who is it?"

Instead of the kind voice of the granny she was expecting, a sharp voice belonging to a young man replied, "Howard Link, from the Central Administration, affiliated with the Black Order. I'm here to speak to Mr. Komui Lee."

One of her brother's contacts? "Umm, just wait there for a second, mister." Lenalee ran back into the kitchen. "Brother, there's a man out there who says he's looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Komui glanced up midway through plating the stir-fry, and then frowned. He wiped his hands on his apron and took it off. Strange, no one should no where the two of them lived. He hadn't even given his address to any of his part-time employers, so who could it be?

He opened the door and came face to face with a man he had never seen before in his life. More accurately, he came shoulder to face with him, seeing that he was a good half a head taller than their visitor.

"Howard Link from the Central Administration," he introduced himself. "Mr. Komui Lee, I presume?"

"Err, yes." Komui sized him up. Their visitor wore his hair in a stiff braid with a straight fringe. Most distinctively, he had two spots on his forehead, one directly on top of the other. He was dressed rather formally in a military style uniform.

"Excellent. We have a serious matter to discuss, and during times like these it is unsafe to linger on doorsteps, so if I may?"

"Eh, okay, come in then." Komui stepped aside, allowing their guest to march into their living room and settle himself on a couch. Closing the door, Komui joined him, sitting on the adjacent sofa. "So—"

"First off, what I'm about to discuss is a confidential matter, for your ears only," Link emphasized, glancing pointedly at Lenalee, who had been peeking from the doorway. Komui noticed and said, "Lenalee, just start dinner without me, I won't be long." He watched her give him a quick nod and a worried glance before returning to their kitchen.

"To business then. Do you remember those monsters that attacked your village two years ago?" Link asked, folding his hands on his lap.

Komui winced slightly at the recollection. "How could I forget those demons that stole our parents away from us? Those Akuma…"

Link's eyebrows rose. "You already know of the Akuma? This simplifies matters. Do you also know of Innocence?"

This time, he was rewarded with a blank stare. "I-Innocence?"

"Innocence is the weapon that Exorcists wield to destroy the Akuma. There are 109 Innocence fragments in total. As far as research shows, each Innocence is attuned to one person, its accommodator. Its form varies for each person."

Komui fleetingly remembered the gun-wielding and beast-master Exorcists who had saved him that night.

Link took a breath before continuing, "Our observations have led us to conclude that you are an Innocence accommodator." Reaching into his inner coat pocket, he withdrew a lantern-like container containing a glowing Innocence fragment. "No one lives here except for you and your sister, am I correct?"

"Yes, but… this is all too sudden," Komui stammered. "I can't wrap my mind around it. If I can wield this Innocence, why couldn't I protect everyone that night?"

"The Innocence may not have been in the vicinity, or perhaps you were not ready for it yet," Link suggested. "You were only 16 at the time, correct? Our youngest Exorcists are currently around 18."

"I see… So how do I use this… Innocence?" Komui breathed, mesmerized by the green glow of the fragment that Link was holding.

"You will come with us to the Black Order Headquarters where we will learn more about your Innocence and forge it into a weapon."

"Where are these Headquarters and how long will this process take?"

"We cannot reveal the location of the headquarters at this unsecured site, and you will be staying with us indefinitely."

"What?" Komui stood up. "I can't take Lenalee with me all the way to who knows where and stay there!"

"Your younger sister will not be permitted to come with us. Central prohibits the involvement of civilians."

"I can't leave her, are you crazy? She's 6 years old!" Komui nearly yelled.

"Mr. Lee, I assure you we will try to work out a solution that suits both your interests and ours."

KNOCK KNOCK.

Before Komui could respond, he heard knocking at their front door again. He turned to Link and opened his mouth, as if to say something, then shook his head and headed for the door.

He opened the door and his eyes brightened a little when he saw that the granny from next door was standing there, holding a bag of vegetables.

"Granny! It's good to see you!"

"Hello, Komui," she spoke slowly, dragging out her syllables. She peered closer at his face and asked, "Are you alright? You seem upset."

"Actually, I—"

"Mr. Lee, I trust everything is in order?" Link's voice interrupted from the next room.

The granny leaned to the side and peered around Komui. "Komui, you have a guest?"

"Err yes, but it's complicated, you see—"

"Mr. Lee!" Link appeared from around the corner, folding his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Sorry, be right there." Turning back to the granny he bowed slightly and said, "I'm sorry Granny, let me just wrap up here and we'll have tea in the kitchen later."

"Don't worry about it my boy, take your time." She shuffled off into the kitchen as Komui and Link returned to the living room.

"Who is she?" Link asked sharply.

"A nice old woman who lives next door. Her husband died a couple of weeks ago, and she's been visiting us for tea almost every day since then," Komui replied.

Link brought a hand to his chin. Only a couple of weeks ago? That's when the Order started the investigation on the Lee family… This seemed all too coincidental… But for the Millennium Earl to have manipulated the situation this way meant that that old woman had to be an…

"Akuma!" Link exclaimed, leaping to his feet and rushing into the kitchen.

"What? Did you just say Akuma? Hey, wait!" Komui took off after Link.

Link burst into the kitchen, where he was greeted by the sight of the old woman sipping tea with Lenalee. He stormed towards them.

Lenalee looked up and saw her brother's visitor glaring at them. "Umm, excuse me mister, would you like anything?" Link ignored her. He grabbed the woman's wrist and hauled her to her feet. The next moment, Komui appeared in the doorway as well, slightly out of breath.

"What are you doing? Who do you think you are, threatening my neighbour!" Komui crossed the room in a few strides them as he talked and shoved Link aside, wrenching his hand away from the granny's wrist with unexpected strength. He stood between Link and the granny and put a few paces between them.

Link glared at him. Komui had taken him by surprise, causing him to lose his grip. Now they were in a compromising position. If he tried anything rash, the Akuma would kill the would-be accommodator. A chair scraping across the floor distracted him for an instant.

Lenalee had stood up from her seat. "Brother, what's going on?" She looked from Link to her brother to the nice granny and back to her brother with frightened violet eyes.

"Perhaps our guest can explain." Komui's voice was laced with anger, shock, and confusion. Lenalee shivered slightly; she had never heard her brother speak so coldly before. Komui keeping his glare trained on Link, he reassured his other guest, "Granny, I'm so sorry about th—"

He broke off, feeling cold metal pressing against the back of his head, simultaneously feeling the house shake as the ceiling seemed to explode open and the walls cracked.

Link had jumped into action the second Komui started talking to the woman, grabbing an explosive talisman out of his pocket. He leaped towards the transforming woman with the talisman in his fist. Before Komui could even blink at the gun barrel aimed at his head, Link yelled out, "Black Wing Blazing Spirit!" and punched the Akuma, blasting it backwards through walls.

"Get out of here!" Link abandoned all finesse, leaping towards Komui and heaving ceiling plaster off of him. He nearly swore when he saw blood streaming down his head. Komui was borderline unconscious, having been struck on the head by falling debris. With a grunt, Link heaved Komui's arm over his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. "We have to evacuate before that Akuma recovers!" Link yelled, half-dragging the taller man along.

Komui's breathing was shallow, but he tried to shrug off Link's arm, gasping, "Lenalee, get Lenalee."

Link growled under his breath but looked around for the girl. He spotted her emerging from under the kitchen table. "Girl! Follow us!" he called to her. Without checking to see if she was following, Link manoeuvred his way across the kitchen and into the hall with Komui leaning heavily on his shoulder. The Akuma was getting up, ripping through more of the ceiling.

Lenalee had never been more scared in her life, not even that night two years ago could compare to this. She kept her eyes focused on the retreating backs of the blond-braid man and her brother, trying her best to ignore her crumbling surroundings. They would be okay, right? …Right? She waited for her brother's calming hand on her head and his reassuring voice, but it never came. The brother who had always protected her was staggering heavily and his breathing was coming in short gasps, barely able to keep himself going. She tore her eyes away from the heart-rending sight and blinked away the tears that had formed.

She stumbled and crashed to the ground as the house quaked again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two men in front of her fall as well. She whimpered as she propped herself up on a scraped elbow. She looked up and immediately wished that she hadn't. The giant ball-shaped Akuma with a grotesque face was propelling itself towards them, all guns aimed at them.

Lenalee sat there trembling so much that she couldn't move as it hovered closer and closer… until it was right beside her. But now, she could clearly see that the guns were not aimed at her, but at her brother.

The gun barrels glowed purple with energy as they prepared to unleash their power. Link's leg was caught between wreckage and he struggled to free himself while grasping for talismans from his pocket. He won't make it in time, Lenalee thought frantically. Her brother was collapsed on the floor, unmoving.

Lenalee screamed louder than she had ever screamed before, "STOP! GET AWAY FROM BROTHER!" she staggered to her feet, but immediately sank to her knees again. Her world exploded in a flash of purple and green.

* * *

Link saw the Akuma's weapons gleam with purple energy as he gave up freeing his leg and focused his full attention on casting a shield spell. He threw the talismans in front of him and they encircled himself and the unconscious Komui. "Guardian Wing!" he cried. The talismans created a transparent shield around them. It's too weak, Link realized. Had he run out of power? This level of shielding couldn't even stand up to a level 1 Akuma's gun blast, which was exactly what they were facing now.

The situation looked hopeless… until he felt a burning sensation come from the Innocence that he had placed back into his inner uniform pocket.

The next few events happened in the blink of an eye. The lantern-encased Innocence flew out of his pocket and flew towards the screaming girl. The container shattered and the Innocence disappeared in a green glow that enveloped the girl. She appeared to stand up then fall back down onto her knees, but the Innocence did not falter. The green glow expanded in a blinding flash, combating the Akuma's purple bullets, causing a tremendous explosion.

* * *

When Link regained consciousness, he found himself inside a shimmering talisman shield, much stronger than the hasty spell he had cast earlier. He sat up slowly, putting a hand to his head. He noticed a masked CROW member maintaining the shield with both palms outstretched. "What happened?" he asked him.

"We are the CROW back-up team for this mission. Leverrier told us to step in once events advanced to this stage. I have bandaged your ankle, and the rest of the team should be just about done driving away the Akuma." Having finished speaking, the CROW member lifted the shield spell and dusted off his uniform.

"Where is the Innocence accommodator?" Link asked, gritting his teeth in an attempt to ignore his pulsing headache.

"The girl is safe; we will take her back with us once the situation has been explained."

So he hadn't been hallucinating. The Order had made a mistake in assuming that the elder 19 year old Lee was the host. The Innocence's true accommodator had been that little 6 year old girl. Even so, it was unheard of, a natural Exorcist at such a young age. Link held his breath for a few moments before completely exhaling. At least it would be simpler to leave behind the brother as the civilian because he could fend for himself. Now that the Innocence accommodator was with them, the Earl would have no reason to target this area.

He stood up, gingerly testing his ankle and determining that it could hold his weight. He looked down at his uniform, sighing when he realized that no amount of dusting off would make it appear any more presentable. He made his way past a couple of horse carriages and over to Komui, who was lying on a clean blanket in the middle of the rubble.

Anguished sobbing that held volumes of pain, sorrow, and fear became more audible as Link approached. Lenalee clutched onto her brother's shirt with tight, shaking fists and wailed while a CROW member sat beside them impassively. Link stood over them, observing the steady rise and fall of Komui's chest. "He'll be alright, he's just unconscious," he told the girl, her miserable form sparking a touch of pity. Lenalee nodded through her streaming tears, unable to speak.

The CROW member behind her gave a slight cough before speaking. "Miss Lenalee Lee. Are you prepared to leave with us now?"

Having cried herself out, she hiccoughed a few times before asking hoarsely, "So you promise your friends are going to take my brother along once he wakes up?"

"Yes. That is the best course of action for now. He would not want you to linger in this dangerous area any longer than necessary," the CROW affirmed with absolute confidence.

"O-Okay…" Lenalee sounded unsure, but decided to listen to this strange man. After all, he had saved them from that Akuma monster, so he had to be a good guy, right? And the good guys never lied, that's what all her story books said.

Hearing his associate's words, Link narrowed his eyes. He stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm. "A quick word please." The CROW's mask betrayed no emotion as he walked a few paces away from the siblings with Link.

"Yes?"

"I thought that Leverrier had made it clear that we were to leave civilians out of this war, no exceptions."

"We are aware of the order. The brother will not be coming with us," the CROW replied bluntly.

"But you just told the girl—"

"A simple falsification to make our journey back to the Order smoother. She is a little girl. Children let go of these attachments easily."

The image of Lenalee crying her eyes out over her wounded brother appeared flashed in front of Link's eyes, but even so, he could not quite place why he felt so bothered by his associate's words. Taken in by Central, or more directly, by Leverrier, when he was an orphan on the streets, he had no inkling of what it was like to have a sibling; his only peer interaction was with his training team, or his 'brothers'-in-arms, if that counted for anything.

"Sirs, we'd best leave before it starts raining!"

Link turned his attention to the first carriage's driver, who was anxiously pointing at the skies. Sure enough, dark, threatening storm clouds were creeping up on them and a deep rumbling that indicated thunder could be heard in the distance.

"A bad omen," Link found himself mumbling aloud under his breath. The CROW was already bundling the girl into the first carriage, but she kept struggling to catch one last glimpse of her brother, searching for a sign that he would be alright. Link hastily stood up and joined them. "I'll take it from here," Link told his masked partner, who responded with a brief nod and climbed into the second carriage after the girl.

The rain had yet to fall, but the world was already enshrouded in gray. A layer of mist crept over the windows, cloaking the outside world from view. Link sat down stiffly opposite Lenalee. She swiped a hand across the misted window as the horses lunged forwards and pressed her forehead to the glass. Even through the heavy rain, she saw her brother blinking as he slowly sat up, helped by a CROW member. Two more cloaked figures appeared from the ruins of their house. They seemed to exchange a few words with their fellow CROW and then point at the carriage.

A sense of relief washed over her. Her brother was okay! Soon they would see each other again at these Black Order Headquarters that the masked men had mentioned. She settled herself more comfortably on her seat.

Link noticed her change in mood but said nothing of it. To tell the truth, he was almost keeling over from exhaustion. His earlier fight with the Akuma combined with weeks of surveillance had worn him down significantly, to the point that his eyes kept blinking shut. Perhaps he could catch a few hours of sleep on the ride back. But no such luck.

"Umm, are me and my brother going to live in the same house when we're at the Order place?"

Link cracked an eye open and noticed the girl looking up at him. Without thinking, he replied, "Everyone has their own room at the Headquarters."

Her face fell slightly. "Oh… well, can me and Brother have rooms next to each other?"

Wanting nothing more than to sleep, Link answered, "Adjacent rooms can be arranged."

Breaking into a smile, Lenalee laid down on the wide carriage seat and whispered, "Thank you." She wiped the last tears from her eyes and they fluttered shut, marking the end of their conversation.

Right before Link drifted off himself, he suddenly remembered that the girl's brother wouldn't be coming. Although he hadn't directly lied to her, he still felt a prickling unease.

* * *

...

A word from Leverrier eased his conscience, but that same word would crush little Lenalee. It was the first word of many to slowly eat away at her spirit and eventually, her sanity.

Komui would spend the next four years desperately searching all over the world for the elusive Black Order, hardening his heart in order to survive, all the while clinging on to the false promise that the Black Order would treat his beloved sister well.

* * *

FIN

**Author's Note**

A big thank you to you, my reader, for taking the time to peruse this work. =) A MASSIVE thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! Real life has been kind of bumpy lately, and it took me forever to write and rewrite this chapter. You guys were my motivation. Thank you.

Reviews are very appreciated!

While this story is over, feel free to check out my budding project, a Kanda & Lenalee kidfic series =)

~D.S.

_~Thanks for reading!~_


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